Reportedly, on the basis of the intelligence provided by Pakistani security agencies, Afghan Security forces have arrested five suspected terrorists who, sitting in Afghanistan, masterminded the Peshawar attack and also supervised the enactment of that abhorrent tragedy. That indeed is a very significant development and a ranting testimony of the newfound collaboration between Pakistan and Afghanistan to fight their common enemy; the phenomenon of terrorism. This cooperation and building of an ambience of trust between the two countries is a positive outcome of the paradigm shift in Pakistan’s policies towards Afghanistan which endeared well to the new Afghan leadership and the inevitable realization on both sides that they needed each other in fighting this menace, establishing peace in the region and fostering regional linkages for shared economic prosperity. Both the civilian and military leadership of Pakistan deserve appreciation for this visionary step as well as improving relations with the US.
We also witnessed this cooperation playing out when in the backdrop of the Peshawar attack and the visit of the COAS to Kabul, Afghan and NATO forces conducted military operations and drone attacks against TTP terrorists based in Afghanistan. The Afghan military chief and Isaf commander in Afghanistan also visited Pakistan to discuss and formulate modalities for monitoring the Pak-Afghan border and security cooperation with regards to preventing cross-border attacks by the militants on both sides of the border. The Afghan government also handed over three important TTP operatives to Pakistan including Latifullah Mehsud, the deputy chief of TTP who was captured in Afghanistan by the NATO forces in October 2013. Who would have imagined this development becoming a reality during the Karzai regime which invariably relished blaming Pakistani security agencies of fomenting and sponsoring terrorist attacks in Afghanistan?
It is understood that Pakistan is also reciprocating these initiatives on its side of the border. Operation Zarb-e-Azab has helped in building mutual trust and the fostering of cooperation between the two countries. Pakistan’s policy of shedding off and distancing itself from its ’strategic assets’ of the past, initiating action against all non-state actors and proscribed outfits and launching the National Action Plan for quelling terrorism in all its manifestations, has also greatly contributed to the removal of doubts about its sincerity of purpose in fighting terrorism.
The US secretary of State John Kerry acknowledged the efforts of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in launching the military operation and reaching out to the Afghan leadership. The US Secretary of State also visited GHQ, held discussions with the COAS on future cooperation between the military establishments of the two countries. The COAS urged upon Senator Kerry the desirability to dismantle militant hideouts in Afghanistan. The visiting dignitary also expressed continued support for the IDPs and announced the assistance of US$ 250 million for them.
The US is conscious of the fact that it would have to rely more on Pakistan in the wake of its withdrawal from Afghanistan to deal with security related issues and the process of reconciliation in Afghanistan. The Pakistan leadership has effectively used this factor in recalibrating relations with Afghanistan and the US, which have already started paying dividends.
This collaboration between Pakistan, Afghanistan and the US to eliminate terrorism is also significant and essential from the new threat posed by the Islamic State (IS) which is trying to extend its tentacles to Pakistan and Afghanistan. Reportedly, ten Taliban groups have pledged allegiance to Islamic State or Daish. The IS threat comes from beyond our frontiers and to fight it effectively, joint efforts by Afghanistan, Pakistan and the US are absolutely necessary.
With the foreign aspect of terrorism having been taken care of by the government, it can now pay unruffled attention to the internal front by implementing the National Action Plan. While the government is still receptive to the concerns of some religious circles about the 21st amendment and ready to address them, there is no hint to suggest that its resolve and determination to take the fight against terrorism to its logical end has been affected by these dissenting voices. The military leadership has also expressed its unqualified support to the government in fighting the menace of terrorism. Convicted terrorists are being hanged and military courts are being set up in all the provinces.
The foregoing developments are indicative of the fact that the fight against terror is on the right track. Pakistan is fighting a war for its survival which necessitates complete national unity amongst all segments of society and their unqualified support to the government and the military in warding off the threat posed by terrorists. The government and the military establishment simply cannot afford to retract from their commitment with regards to the security of the country. The concerns being voiced by the legal community, human rights groups and political leaders are not without substance but they are relevant to only normal situations. They need to understand that.

The writer is a freelance columnist